2023 is a big year for my family: my bro and I graduate!

My family finds any event to throw a celebration, from a birthday to Father’s Day.  Graduation parties are my favorite because it combines an academic achievement with my birthday.

WHAT WAS ON THE MENU?

As a Neopolitan pizza loving family, I searched all of New Jersey for an authentic pie.  Neopolitan pizzas are marked by their very thin center, with dough that puffs up around the sides and provides for a very airy crust. I attended food festivals and scoped out new restaurants for a slice of chewy, soft dough and San marzano pomodoro with the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Then, my mom and I found Culto Italiano, a mobile pizza truck, while strolling around Italian cafe Farinolio in my town.  Culto Italiano is run by two Neopolitan and one Roman native – and they brought excitement and laughs to our drive way.

Every time our guests circled around the pizza table, Giovanni would dish out slices one after another and the guests would leave will a full plate. So, what did people eat?

• Pizza Margherita, W and W/O cheese
  • San Marzano tomato sauce, Fresh mozzarella, fresh basil Extra virgin olive oil.
• Parmigiana, W and W/O cheese
  • San Marzano tomatoes, eggplant parmigiana, pecorino romano Fondue
• Capricciosa, W and W/O cheese
  • San Marzano tomato sauce, ham, black olives, mushrooms, artichokes hearts, fresh basil
• Vesuvio
  • Red and yellow cherry tomatoes, fresh pesto, stracciatella cheese
• Arugula salad with red tomatoes and walnuts, feta cheese on the side

If you can’t tell by these photos, the pizza was exceptional.

Apart from the crow pleasing Nutella pizza provided by Culto Italiano, I was in charge of desserts.  Considering my main audience was high schoolers, I stuck with classics, but to make it a bit more interesting to me, they were all new recipes.

• Vegan chocolate chip cookies by School Night Vegan
  • These are literally perfect. So much so that I was concerned that people would think that I bought them at the store! I used Trader Joe’s 72% dark chocolate, chunked up, which was decadent.
• Vegan sheet cake with blueberry frosting by Banana Diaries
  • I’ve long wanted to try a banana diaries recipe.  This cake was light, spongy, and refreshing.  It had the perfect, soft crumb, and paired with a fruity frosting, was a memorable ode to summer.
• Vegan brownies by The Big Man’s World
  • Straight and simple.  These were dark and fun.  I added a bit of decaf coffee to give it some richness.

THE PLAYLIST

When it comes to music, I’m quite eclectic.  My liked songs can range from the Mamas and Papas to Usher. With this in mind, my dinner playlist was no different, a symphony of international languages and time periods, with special odes to my bro’s favorite tunes.  Here is the link to my Spotify list.  Give it a listen!

THE HAPPY RAIN

Our graduation party was marked by some rain, but it added to the close-knittedness of all our friends and family. Laughter echoed with music through the air as we bonded in our tent, imprinting a beautiful memory that I will cherish.